Education

Positions held

• Technical at Plant Physiology Department, Barcelona University, Spain. 1999-2000.
• Technical at Experimental fields of Faculty of Biology, Barcelona University, Spain. 2001-2002.
• Postdoctoral Research associate, Drought tolerance of tropical plants, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. 2002-2003.
• Postdoctoral Research associate, Developing wheat with enhanced nitrogen use efficiency towards a sustainable system of production, University of Barcelona, Spain. 2003-2006.

Languages

• Spanish
• French
• English
• Arabic

Skills

• Biological research
  • Drought stress – Photoinhibition – Nitrogen deficiency
  • Plant physiology ecology– Phytopathology – Field and greenhouse trials
  • Data acquisition - Database construction, cleaning, and management
  • Data analysis – Statistics
• Interpersonal and communication
  • Presentation: formal, informal, academic
  • Mentoring in research methods and training techniques
• Experience in methodology of work
  • Extensive experience in experimental design, data collection, as well as interpreting results.
  • Determination of Total Antioxidant Activity (TAA) of plant material extracts, Chloroplastic pigments using HPLC, Ascorbic Acid and Fluorescence parameters of Photosystem II (Mini-Pam Walz) (Publications 1, 4, 6, 7). 
  • Expertise in plant gas exchange measurement (Li-6200, Li-6400, Li-1600), plant water relations techniques (psychrometer, scholander bomb, etc.), plant hydraulic conductance (HPFM, ULFM), O2 electrode for respiration measurement, stable isotope composition determination using mass spectrometry, spectrophotometric analysis, autoclaving, soluble carbohydrates and soluble proteins (Bio-Rad method).

Publications

1. Fleck I, Aranda X, El Omari B, Permanyer J, Abadia A y Hogan K P. 1999. The effect of dithiothreitol on photoprotective mechanisms of Quercus ilex resprouts alter fire. Photosynthesis research. Vol III, 2321-2324.
2. El Omari B, Fleck I, Aranda X, Casadesus J. 1999. Relationship between internal cycling of nitrogen and nitrogen supply in Quercus ilex resprouts after fire. African crop Science Conference proceeding, 4, 179-181.
3. El Omari B, Fleck I, Xavier A, Moret A, Nadal M. 2001. Effect of fungal infection on leaf gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence in Quercus ilex. Annals of Forest Science, 58, 165-173.
4. Fleck I, Aranda X, El Omari B, Permanyer J, Abadia A. Hogan K.P. 2000. Light energy dissipation in Quercus ilex resprouts after fire. Australian journal of plant physiology, 27 (2), 129-137.
5. El Omari B, Fleck I, Aranda X, Verdaguer D, Pascual G. 2003. Resource remobilisation in Quercus ilex resprouts. Plant and soil, 252, 349-357.
6. El Omari B, Fleck I, Aranda X, Abadia A, Cano A, Arnao M.A. 2003. Total antioxidant activity in Quercus ilex resprouts after fire. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 41 (1), 41-47.
7. Dolors Verdaguer, Xavier Aranda, Anna Jofré, Bouchra El Omari, Marisa Molinas, Isabel Fleck. 2003. Expression of low molecular weight heat-shock Proteins and total antioxidant activity in the Mediterranean tree Quercus ilex L. In relation to seasonal and diurnal changes in physiological parameters. Plant Cell and Environment, 26, 1407-1417.
8. Melvin T. Tyree, Andrea Nardini, Sebastiano Salleo, Lawren Sack and Bouchra El Omari. 2005. The dependence of leaf hydraulic conductance on irradiance during HPFM measurements: any role for stomatal response? Journal of Experimental Botany, 56: 737-744.

Dissertation

1. El Omari B. 1999. “Effect of fungal infection on leaf gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence in Quercus ilex”. M.S, 85 p.
2. El Omari B. 2002. “Physiological responses of Quercus ilex resprouts after fire”. Ph.D, 170 p.

Symposiums and Conferences

1. Fleck I, Aranda X, El Omari B, Permanyer J, Abadia A y Hogan K P. 1999. The effect of dithiothreitol on photoprotective mechanisms of Quercus ilex resprouts alter fire. XIth international congress on photosynthesis, Budapest, Hungary.
2. El Omari B, Fleck I, Aranda X, Casadesus J. 1999. Relationship between internal cycling of nitrogen and nitrogen supply in Quercus ilex resprouts after tree-fell. IVth African Crop Science Conference, Casablanca, Morocco.
3. El Omari B, Fleck I, Xavier A, Moret A, Nadal M. 2000. Effect of fungal infection on leaf gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence in Quercus ilex.. XIII Spanish society of plant physiology reunion, Seville, Spain.
4. Fleck I, Aranda X, El Omari B, Permanyer J, Abadia A. Hogan K.P. 1998. Photoinhibition responseof Quercus ilex resprouts after fire. Parc de Collserola, Barcelona, Spain.
5. El Omari B, Fleck I, Aranda X, Abadia A, Cano A, Arnao M.A. 2001. Total antioxidant activity in Quercus ilex resprouts after fire. Society for free radical research (European Region), Nice, France.
6. El Omari B, Tyree M.T, Engelbrecht B.M.J and Kursar T.A. 2003. Increase of hydraulic conductance during drought in the case of some tropical plants. Association of Applied Biologists, Majorca, Spain.
7. Girardo JP, Burke A, El Omari B, Engelbrecht BMJ, Tyree MT, Kursar TA. 2004. Quantifying desiccation tolerance and drought performance of tropical seedlings for predicting plant distributions, Annual Tropical Biology, Miami, USA.
8. Araus J.L., Lopes M., Tambussi E., El Omari B., Pardo T., Ferrio J.P., Voltas J., Bogues S., Bort J. How physiology may contribute to productivity improvement in Mediterranean conditions? Application to cereal breeding. Portugal.